I Am Not the Actor
by cleverpun0
Summary: She's the original. She won the paint-watching test, fair and square. So why do the townsponies keep avoiding her? Why do all her friends keep whispering around her? And why does Twilight insist that she's bad at baking? She's the original. The best Pinkie. She won the test, fair and square. She's not some copy, not anymore...but perhaps that'd be easier than being herself
1. 1 This Can't Be the Scene

**Ch. 1**

**This Can't Be the Scene**

BY: cleverpun

Moments after the sneeze, Twilight Sparkle lowered her horn and cast the spell. The flash of white and purple lit up the entire room. The blinding light faded very slowly, lingering far longer than any of the others. Eventually it receded, and as everypony lowered their hooves and opened their eyes, there only a single pink pony sitting on the floor, still staring intently at the painted wall.

Twilight let out a deep sigh and walked towards her. "Pinkie, you can look away now."

Pinkie blinked slowly. "I passed?" She rubbed a hoof against her forehead.

The other five had started to approach as well, and a small half-circle had formed around the pink earth pony.

Twilight smiled. "You passed. You're the only Pinkie who kept staring at the wall."

A small smile crept onto Pinkie's face. "I knew I'd win! There's no way I could lose something that important!"

"I knew you'd be up to the challenge."

"So my prize is I get to stay, right?"

Twilight froze. "What?"

Rarity and Fluttershy exchanged a glance. Another passed between Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Spike looked up at Twilight, but she was still staring at Pinkie.

Pinkie's smile widened. "That's what you said right? Whoever wins gets to stay, and I won!"

"No…" Twilight's word was barely a whisper, but the room was so quiet everypony heard it regardless.

"Yes!" Pinkie bounced up. "I remember! I heard you say it! You know, that was pretty fun now that it's all over!" She had started hopping up and down. "Ooh, what should we do next? Something fun?"

"Twilight?" Applejack whispered.

Twilight took a few steps back. Everypony but Pinkie was staring at her now. "No…it couldn't…" Her eyes flicked to the window and back to Pinkie.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy's voice wavered a bit.

"Sugarcube?"

Twilight's eyes darted around, landing everywhere except on her friends. She started breathing faster. She froze again. Her horn started glowing, she screwed her eyes shut and grunted as the spell shot out of her horn in a brief burst of purple light.

She was still for a few seconds. Her breathing evened out and her horn continued to glow brightly. Fluttershy and Rarity took a few steps towards her, when suddenly her eyes snapped open and she fell backward onto her rump.

She shakily stood up, then jabbed a hoof at Pinkie. "You. Come with me."

"Are we gonna do something fun?"

"No."

* * *

The lights in the conference room flickered for a moment. Pinkie shifted in her chair.

Twilight stared intensely at Pinkie. "How did you do it?" The question was icy, but angry. Twilight's voice was low, but clear.

"I dunno." Pinkie shrugged.

"You did something! Tell me!" Twilight finally let her voice rise. It made her feel better, if only slightly.

Pinkie winced. "I really don't know. The other Pinkie just told me to have fun and act like her, so I did. She watched paint dry, so I did too. And it was a game, and games are fun, and I wanted to win. And I don't really know how else to say it."

Twilight slammed her hooves on the desk between them and leaned forward. "It can't be that simple! There's no way some clone outdid the real Pinkie Pie!" The conference desk wobbled and rattled slightly from her blow.

Pinkie recoiled again. "Twilight, you're scaring me…"

Twilight's posture stiffened at the mention of her name. She leaned further over the desk.

Applejack put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, gently guiding her back to her chair. "Calm down, sugarcube. I know you're upset about what happened to Pinkie Pie, but gettin' angry won't solve anything."

"What else do you expect me to do?"

Pinkie scratched her head. "What's there to get angry at, Twilight? I won the game, so I'm Pinkie Pie now. That's how it works, right?"

Twilight finally lost what little control she had and burst out of her chair towards the clone. Magic would've been faster. Fast enough that Dash and Applejack wouldn't have been able to tackle her. She knew that, of course.

Pinkie turned to the white unicorn next to her.

"Uhm, Rarity? Why is Twilight so upset? She didn't lose the game, right? She was just the judge. Judges don't win or lose, they just watch everyone else have fun. I don't…"

The sound of Twilight crying interrupted Pinkie's sentence.

"Why is she crying?"

"Because…Pinkie…" Rarity paused, "you may have been playing the 'game,' but the rest of us lost something because of the result."

"Oh, were you betting something? I hear gambling is pretty fun! What did you lose?"

"The real Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie smiled, innocently and sincerely. "Oh don't be silly, Rarity! I'm right here! I won it fair and square! Pinkie told me to be like her, and I was so much like her I won! I must've done a good job, right? And now we can have loads of fun and throw parties and whatever else Pinkie—I mean, _I _used to…! Why is everypony crying?"


	2. 2 I Can See That This Is Me

**Ch. 2**

**I Can See That ****This Is Me**

Pinkie surveyed the bakery. It was intrinsically unfamiliar. They said the bedroom was upstairs. They hadn't said "your bedroom" or "her bedroom." Just "the bedroom." It must be hers now, though.

All her friends had talked about stuff like that for a long time. They had asked her questions, examined her cutie mark, whispered to each other. Her friends were so smart and careful. They wanted to make sure there were no cheaters, that she had really won the contest fair and square.

Finally, after a long, boring examination, they said everypony should get some rest, that it had been a long day. They were right, of course.

"Where's my house?" Pinkie had asked. She needed to start learning how to be herself, after all.

Her friends hadn't answered right away. Eventually the blue one, Rainbow, had led her here. "The bedroom is upstairs, on the left," she had said. They must need to finish up everything. Maybe they needed to fill out paperwork, or something like that.

Pinkie examined the room carefully. It was hers, after all. She loved the décor. Lots of pastel colors, with party paraphernalia scattered everywhere. There were some paper cutouts of snowflakes and ponies on a desk; the previous Pinkie Pie must've been working on them before she lost the game. Sure looked like fun. There was also a large whiteboard covered with recipes and sticky notes in one corner. The closet was open; a few outfits were spilling out of it, but otherwise it was well-organized.

Pinkie liked the bed most of all. The covers had a big embroidered picture of her cutie mark on them. Three balloons, because she loved fun. There was a large chest at the foot of it. When she opened it, various toys greeted her. She grabbed the nearest one: a yellow box with a red disc on one side and a red strip poking out of the other.

She examined the toy for a moment, unsure what it was. On a whim she grabbed the red strip with her mouth and tugged on it, sending the disc spinning off to the other side of her room.

Pinkie laughed. She had good taste in toys. She dug through the box some more, and eventually pulled out a dull pink rubber sack. It appeared quite bland.

"What's this boring thing doing in here?" she asked aloud. She gave it a tentative poke, and felt a small rush of air squeak out of it. Intrigued, she pushed harder and was rewarded with a loud facsimile of a fart.

Pinkie burst out laughing, and continued exploring the room with renewed curiosity.

There was a hamper next to the chest, but when she opened that it was empty. On the nightstand was a big journal, no doubt full of recipes and schedules and other fun things. She'd read it later. It was hers; she'd be able to read it any time she liked.

She was tired, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. She was too excited. She had a whole new life waiting for her. A whole lifetime of friends and fun and parties and music and who knows what else. She had earned it. It was hers. Shouldn't she get started right away?

She walked over to the desk with the paper cutouts on it. There was a big stack of construction paper off to one side, and a cup with dozens of different scissors in it on the other. Pinkie picked up a folded sheet of paper, and as it fell open she saw that there were designs cut into it.

"Oh, I get it. You cut the folded paper, and it multiples! I mean, multiplies. What fun!"

She would go to sleep soon. There was no harm in trying the paper cutouts now, though. What was life for if not for fun?

She picked up the scissors. It took her a few tries to figure out how to hold them correctly. She tried using one hoof, then both hooves, and then just one and her mouth. Once she was confident they wouldn't slip off her hoof, she took the paper and made a few haphazard slices into it. When she finally unfolded the stack of paper it didn't look anything like the others on the table. That was okay, it was still really fun!

She grabbed another sheet of paper and folded it. The creases didn't line up at all, but her cut was a little straighter this time. She grabbed a third sheet of paper, and a fourth. By the sixth sheet she had forgotten there was a clock in the room at all, let alone what time it was.


	3. 3 If I Speak Without Emotion

**Ch. 3**

**If I Speak Without Emotion**

"I'm back," Dash announced. As she walked in, she noticed the painted wall from the test was still sitting on the stage.

"And?" Rarity asked.

"I dropped her off at Sugarcube Corner. She seemed like she could take care of herself, so I didn't stay."

"I suppose that's best for now… Thank goodness the Cakes are still on vacation."

"How's Twilight?" Dash asked.

"Upset."

"Well, duh. I knew that."

"Yes, but you know Twilight. Applejack has been attempting to comfort her ever since you left, but it isn't doing much good."

Dash glanced around. "Fluttershy come back yet?"

Rarity shook her head. "None of us have seen her since she ran off."

"And, uhm, what about you?"

"I've been better, dear."

Rainbow floated over and sat on the bench next to Rarity. She reached over to put a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder, but was interrupted by a door being flung open. Twilight stormed out of it, Applejack a few steps behind her.

"Twilight, come back!" Applejack shouted.

"Just because you keep saying it doesn't make it true, Applejack." Twilight's eyes were still puffy, but she managed to trot towards the exit in a mostly-straight line.

"It's not your fault!"

Twilight spun back to face Applejack.

"You heard that clone! I was the judge! I was the one deciding who stayed and who didn't! I was the one who cast the 'back-from-where-you-came' spells. I was the one who made doubly sure the subjects couldn't be retrieved with magic. So stop lying to me!" Twilight spun around again and ran out the door.

"I wasn't lyin'," Applejack muttered.

"Oh? Then whose fault do you think it was?" Rainbow asked skeptically.

"It wasn't anypony's fault, Rainbow Dash. You should know that."

"Well, it's like Twilight said earlier, you know? Blaming that fake Pinkie would be a lot easier…"

Rarity and AJ exchanged a glance.

"Rainbow…" Rarity put a hoof on Dash's shoulder. "Grief doesn't work that way."

Rainbow's wings drooped slightly. "I know that…"

Rarity pulled Dash into a proper hug.

"There's no need to hold it in," Rarity said softly.

Dash didn't return the hug. "I'm not holding anything in."

"Not even a little?" Rarity asked.

"You don't gotta pretend with us, sugarcube."

Rainbow squirmed out of Rarity's grip. "It's not that. I love Pinkie Pie. A lot. It's just…"

Rarity leaned in. "'Just' what?"

Rainbow looked away, rubbed her shoulder, unsure how to put it. "It just…it doesn't feel like she's gone."

* * *

Twilight kept running in no direction in particular. Nopony was awake this time of night. The city was practically empty as she ran, aimlessly going through street after street. Streetlights and moonlight were her only companions. She didn't expect to crash into somepony, let alone Fluttershy.

"Oh, uhm, sorry." Fluttershy instinctively swept her hair in front of her face. She hastily wiped her eyes, not that it had much effect. She pushed the bag she had been carrying behind her back.

Twilight sniffed. "Fluttershy!? What are you doing here? Were you coming to help us decide what to do with the fake Pinkie?"

"Oh, uhm, well, sort of. I guess…"

"We didn't decide anything. We just cried a lot and finally stuck her in Sugarcube Corner until tomorrow." Twilight suddenly buried herself in Fluttershy's coat, both of them collapsing onto the street. "Oh, Fluttershy, I can't believe I was so stupid. This whole mess is all my fault…!" Twilight felt some of her tears and mucous smear onto Fluttershy's coat. She made a mental note to apologize for it later.

Fluttershy gently stroked Twilight's mane. "There, there, Twilight. It'll all be…okay."

Twilight missed the uneven enunciation. "How can you say that!? One of our friends is gone forever because of me!" When she turned to look at Fluttershy's face, Twilight saw something out of the corner of her eye.

Twilight sat upright. "Fluttershy, what's in that bag?"

"Oh, uhm, it's just a housewarming gift…"

"For who?"

"…Pinkie?"

"What!? Are you actually suggesting we let that fake stay here!?"

"Well, you said nopony decided what to do with her, and you haven't, uhm, gotten rid of her…yet…"

"Well, yes, but…" Twilight was reminded of her outburst at town hall. Magic would've been faster. "I don't think…"

"Trust me, Twilight, I thought about it a lot." Fluttershy picked up the bag, and Twilight finally noticed her eyes were more than a little puffy. "She may not be the real Pinkie Pie, but she's still a pony. And she's a lot better than having no Pinkie at all…"

Twilight wanted to state the obvious, but she couldn't quite get her mouth to form the words.

Fluttershy grabbed the bag and began to walk off. "Since she's asleep I'll give her…I mean, Pinkie, this tomorrow. Good night, Twilight."

Fluttershy left, but Twilight sat in the middle of the road for some time.


	4. 4 Now I'm to Begin

**Ch. 4**

**Now I'm to Begin**

Twilight had been staring at the door to Sugarcube Corner for a while now. She hadn't been able to sleep. She had just been thinking about what Fluttershy had told her, and why she hadn't been able to argue with her.

When she told her other friends, they had agreed with Fluttershy. She hadn't been able to argue with them, either. Whenever she tried, she thought back to her poorly planned attack back in town hall. Twilight shook her head. _Too late now,_ she thought to herself. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind and went back to staring at the door.

Twilight knew Pinkie Pie got up early every day to prepare for parties. She was hesitant to knock on the door this early. That social more of interrupting a sleeping person festered at the front of her mind. What if this new Pinkie was a late sleeper? What if Twilight had to wait around until noon to tell that imposter what everypony had decided?

"No. I'm not gonna sit here that long," she whispered. The words were very loud in the quiet morning. They didn't convince her as much as she had hoped, but she finally got up the nerve and knocked on the door anyway.

A small flurry of noise echoed from inside the building. A few seconds later it subsided, and Pinkie flung open the door.

Her eyes lit up, and a huge smile swept across her face. "Twilight! I'm so happy to see you!" Pinkie flung her arms around Twilight.

Twilight didn't return the hug. "Uhm, hello, Pinkie. May I come in?"

"Of course, of course! How silly of me!" Pinkie released Twilight and bounced back inside. "Come in, come in! I was just baking cupcakes. It's what I do, after all!"

Twilight set her bag by the door. She had half-expected the place to be a mess, to have all the furniture rearranged, to be painted a different color, to somehow reflect how abnormal everything felt. Except it didn't. Everything was exactly the same.

She followed Pinkie into the kitchen. There was a notable pile of pots and utensils scattered everywhere. "I see you haven't figured out how to do dishes yet."

"Nope! I'm working on it, though."

Twilight sighed. The anger and guilt and fatigue seemed to cancel each other out, and she managed to speak calmly. "Anyway, I came here to tell you that everypony decided to let you stay."

Pinkie gasped. "Really!? See, I told everypony I won fair and square! There's no way I would ever cheat with something that important."

"Yea, well, congratulations, I guess." _Imposter_.

"Just you wait, Twilight! I'm going to be the best Pinkie Pie ever. I promise not to disappoint you or any of my other new friends!" Pinkie hopped over to Twilight and gave her another one-sided embrace.

Thankfully, the doorbell rang.

"Oh boy! Another visitor!" Pinkie skipped into the foyer, and returned moments later with Fluttershy.

"Look, Twilight! Fluttershy came by to give me a housewarming present!"

"Hi, Fluttershy." Twilight said evenly.

"Oh, uhm, hi, Twilight."

"Oh man, this is the best day ever. My first-ever present, from my first-ever friends!" There was a loud ding from the oven. "And my first-ever batch of cookies! Wait right here." Pinkie leapt over to the oven and began to pull out several large baking trays.

"I thought she was baking cupcakes…?" Twilight asked aloud.

"Well, she's…enthusiastic."

"She'll never be Pinkie Pie, no matter how much or how well she bakes."

"If you say so…"

"Crumpets are done! What are you two whispering about?"

"Nothing," Twilight answered promptly.

"Ooh, so it's a secret? I love those! They're a lot of fun. Is it about me? It's about me isn't it? Anyway, try these brownies! Fresh from the oven!" Pinkie offered them the tray of baked goods. The shapeless brown lumps scattered across it looked incredibly unappetizing.

"They look, uhm, nice." Fluttershy took one, and Twilight reluctantly followed suit.

Pinkie smiled and carried the tray back to the kitchen island, singing a song to herself as she slid the cupcakecookiebrowniecrumpets onto a plate. She looked up and found the other two staring at her. "What?"

"I've never heard that song before," Twilight said.

"Oh, well, I guess you wouldn't have! It's from the other side of the pond."

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged a glance, though Twilight's was more of a resentful glare.

"Well, don't just stand there, dig in!"

The two ponies braced themselves, and finally took a bite simultaneously. They spat them out simultaneously as well.

"Sooo, what did you think?" Pinkie asked excitedly.


	5. 5 How Many Friends

**Ch. 5**

**How Many Friends**

Pinkie skipped out of her house. It was such a beautiful day. Twilight and Fluttershy had left to go do something, but that was okay. Her friends were so amazing; naturally they would be in high demand. Besides, Pinkie had things to do too; she had to say "hello" to every pony in Ponyville. It was just one of the many fun parts of being Pinkie Pie.

As she bounced down the street she saw her first new friends: a teal unicorn and an off-white earth pony.

"Hi, girls!"

"Oh, hello, Pinkie." The unicorn didn't sound very happy.

"What's the matter? You don't sound very happy. Did you skip breakfast or something?"

"No, it's, uhm…"

The earth pony nudged her friend. "Lyra, what are you doing?" she whispered. "Stop talking to it."

"Who's 'it?'" Pinkie glanced around. "You two sound sad. Is there something I can do to help? I was gonna say 'hello' to every pony in town, but you know I always have time to help my friends!"

Lyra looked to the side. "It's nothing. We're just late for…something."

"Oh, okay! Have fun at your appointment, Lyra, and…uhm, what was your name again?"

But the ponies had already left. They were arguing about something; they must not have heard her.

Pinkie shrugged and continued skipping. Then she saw her next new friend. They weren't having a good day either. Neither was her fourth friend. Or her fifth.

Then she saw one of her old friends.

"Hi, Rarity! What're you up to?"

Rarity looked up from the bread she had been examining. "Oh, uhm, hello, Pinkie. Just buying some groceries." She hastily handed some bits to the pony behind the counter and settled the loaf of bread into her bags. "How are you doing today?"

"Great!" Pinkie punctuated the word with an upward pronk. "I was saying hello to everypony in town, but none of them want to talk to me."

Rarity started walking towards a different stall and Pinkie hopped after her.

"Do you know why everypony is so grumpy today? Did something happen?"

"Well, honestly I wouldn't know." Rarity kept her eyes on the road ahead. The streets were mostly empty this early in the day.

"Really?" Pinkie frowned. "But you're so smart, you've gotta know something!"

"Sorry, Pinkie, but I really have to finish up my shopping." Rarity ground to a halt as Pinkie appeared right in front of her face.

"You're sure you don't know what's wrong? You're acting just like everypony else."

Rarity's eyes flicked to the side. "Well, Pinkie, sometimes it's hard to notice how something is different."

"What do you mean?"

Rarity reluctantly made eye contact with Pinkie. "I mean, sometimes little changes can make ponies just as, er, 'grumpy' as big changes can."

Pinkie scratched her head. "But wouldn't the little ones be easier to fix?"

"Well, as I said, often the smaller things are harder to notice."

Pinkie giggled. "But then why would they bother anypony at all? Shouldn't they just ignore them?"

"Well, some ponies certainly can, but it's not always that simple."

Pinkie cocked her head. "Why not?"

"They build up, all those little things." Rarity glanced at her saddlebags. "It's like the stitches on clothing. If just one thread comes loose it's often not a concern." She looked back at Pinkie. "But if a dozen do then the entire piece feels different. It might be too loose in certain spots, or too tight in others, and you can't tell exactly what is wrong, you just know that something is. And some ponies don't react to that very well."

Pinkie nodded. "Ohhhh, okay, I see what you mean. So you think a bunch of little things changed and that's making everypony upset?"

Rarity looked away. "Perhaps."

"Well, I'll just have to keep an extra-careful, super-attentive eye on everything while I say hello to everypony! Maybe I'll be able to help un-grumpify everyone!" Pinkie beamed. "Thanks a lot, Rarity!" She took a step in no particular direction. "I'll let you get back to your shopping. Be sure to tell me if you notice any of those little differences!"

Pinkie bounced off, humming an unfamiliar tune. Another talk with somepony, another new friend with an important appointment. Pinkie shrugged and skipped off again, still humming.

She didn't notice Rarity watching her. She didn't notice Rarity sigh, wipe her eyes, and walk off, either.

* * *

Twilight stared at her book. It was still on the title page, same as it had been for the last hour. A glance at her parchment showed it was still completely blank, save her name scrawled unevenly across the top. She closed her eyes, and the test flashed through her mind again. Especially the end. Pinkie had gotten so excited when Twilight declared her the winner. So happy about…

Twilight's eyes snapped open. She knew it wasn't healthy to dwell on it; all the books said so. Despite all the assurances it wasn't her fault, it just wouldn't leave her mind. The simple fact was that they had no Pinkie Pie anymore, just some imposter who wanted to replace her. All the clone's attempts to be Pinkie Pie only rubbed salt in the wound.

Twilight suddenly looked up, her eyes wide.

"That's it," she whispered to herself. It wasn't a very good plan. Twilight knew that. Even as she said the words she felt ashamed of herself. That wouldn't matter if it worked, though. Anything would be better than wallowing in her own failure like this.

Twilight grabbed her bag and stuffed a few select books in it, then set off for Sugarcube Corner. When she opened the library door, however, Rarity was standing in her way.

"Sorry to barge in on you like this, Twilight. I was just talking to…" Suddenly Rarity noticed Twilight's bag. "Oh, sorry, were you heading somewhere?"

"Oh, nowhere important."

Rarity sighed. "You're a terrible liar, Twilight."

"Really, it's nothing. What did you need?"

"Oh, well, I know I've been trying to stay calm about it, and I know you haven't gotten over it yet, but I just saw Pinkie downtown and had to talk to somepony."

"Why? What happened?"

Rarity gave her the gist of it, then sighed loudly. "I know I shouldn't expect anypony to just accept it. I certainly haven't. But, well..." Rarity leaned closer to Twilight. "I think Pinkie may be making it worse."

"Making what worse?"

"You know, adjusting to all of this. Accepting the...situation."

Twilight smiled. "Don't worry, Rarity. I was actually just about to go fix that very problem."

Rarity frowned. "I do not like the sound of that."

"Trust me, Rarity, it'll work. I haven't planned it all the way through yet, but I'm certain it will work."

"Dare I ask the nature of this plan?"

Twilight's smile widened. "I'm going to help her be Pinkie, of course."

Rarity shook her head. "I should have known better than to try and confide in you. You're taking this harder than any of us."

"Of course I am! But it's going to be okay now. Like I said, I have a plan."

"Twilight, you cannot fix grief with plans!" Rarity leaned forward. "It simply doesn't work that way."

"Ha, that's what you think!"

Rarity put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Twilight, please, listen. I know you're not taking this well. Nopony is. Nopony can. Nopony should. But being reckless will only make things that much worse."

"I'm not being reckless. I made flowcharts, I weighed every option, I planned out everything." Twilight tapped her head, pushing Rarity's hoof away in the process. "It's allll up here. I just haven't written them down yet. I'll show you when I get back, then you'll see that this will work. But right now I have to go."

"Twilight, listen to me. I know whatever you're planning _seems _like a good idea, but just slow down and think about it for a second. You can't be impulsive about these sorts of things."

"Get out of the way, Rarity."

Twilight stepped towards the door, but Rarity planted a hoof in front of her.

"I am not moving until you listen to some sense."

Twilight narrowed her eyes, and with a loud _pop_ and a flash of purple of magic, she vanished.

Rarity didn't have to guess where she had gone. She sighed loudly and fluffed her mane. "Well, perhaps it's good I went to her, after all. Damage control is better when it's timely." Rarity started toward Sugarcube Corner at a brisk, though still ladylike, pace.

* * *

"I don't get it, Goomi. I was friendly to everypony all morning, and none of them wanted to talk to me."

The alligator slowly opened one eye, then closed it again. The rest of his body remained curled up and immobile.

Pinkie laughed. "Guess you're right. I have the whole afternoon to keep trying!"

Pinkie grabbed one of her cupcakecookiebrowniecrumpets and popped it into her mouth. _Mmm, chewy._

There was a knock at her door and Pinkie's eyes lit up. In no time at all she had zipped over and opened it.

"Hi, Twilight! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Hi, Pinkie. May I come in?"

"Of course, of course! What's up?"

"Well, I was thinking… After eating your…food, earlier, I think it might be good if I gave you some _baking lessons!"_ Twilight was not good at faking cheer.

Pinkie giggled. "Oh, Twilight. I already know how to bake! I'm Pinkie Pie, remember? That's what I do!"

Twilight knew Pinkie would say that. She had planned out all her answers just in case, and number eleven was already leaving her mouth before Pinkie had even finished. "But that's just it, Pinkie! You could always be _better_ at being…yourself." She faltered on the last word, but Pinkie didn't notice. "Why do you think I read so many books? It's all so I can be a better Twilight." Twilight really was a terrible liar.

Pinkie pondered for a moment. "Wellllllll…I guess that makes sense. But do you even know how to bake?"

"Of course. P—I mean, a friend of mine taught me how. She was one of the best." Twilight trotted into the kitchen, pulling out the cookbooks she had brought.

Pinkie shrugged and bounced after her. No harm in humoring Twilight. Besides, baking with one of her best friends was sure to be lots of fun.


	6. 6 Let Me Be Stormy

**Ch. 6**

**Let Me Be Stormy**

Twilight propped open the book on a stand. "So, why don't we start with what went wr—I mean, why don't you tell me how you did it last time?"

"Oh, that's easy! I was upstairs making paper things with scissors, and then I started to get hungry. So I realized I live _in a bakery!_ Best decision I ever made! So I hopped downstairs and I realized that these books told you how to bake stuff! I grabbed one and I was looking at all the amazing stuff in it, and I couldn't pick just one, so I decided to make all of them!"

"Well, that explains a few things," Twilight muttered to herself.

"It sure does! So after I chose my four favorite things, I just followed the instructions. The book was really specific and helpful and detailed and it was pretty easy."

"Uhm, okay…why don't we follow just one this time?"

Pinkie shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Twilight flipped through a few pages. "Alright, here. Chocolate chip cookies. Easy." Twilight propped the book near Pinkie. "Show me how you would make these."

Pinkie bounced over to the book and began reading the recipe. Twilight saw her mouthing the words as her eyes traveled down the instructions.

"You actually read the recipe?" Twilight asked skeptically.

"Shh, I'm not done."

Twilight frowned. As Pinkie continued reading, her hoof started tapping slowly against the floor.

After a rather long wait, Pinkie snapped away from the cookbook and skipped over to the pantry and cupboards. She wrestled a measuring cup, bowl, whisks and other utensils from the latter, and bags of flour, chips, and other ingredients from the former. She balanced them on her back and head as she brought them back to the table, and dropped them with a dramatic flourish.

Twilight glanced sideways. Pinkie Pie would only ever do one trip, as well. Helped get to the good part faster, she had claimed.

Pinkie grabbed a large measuring cup in her teeth, and then scooped some flour from the bag. She got a fair bit on her nose and hair in the process. She held the cup over the bag, pushed the excess flour off with her hoof, then dumped it into a large bowl. She repeated this a second time, and a third, and Twilight heard her stamp her hoof to count each one. She took a fourth scoop, and delicately shook out some flour until the cup was exactly half full. She put it on the counter and squatted down to make sure she had gotten it just right.

"You know, it doesn't need to be perfectly precise," Twilight muttered.

"Well, the book said three-and-a-half cups."

"Yeah, but—"

"Twilight, shush. I'm trying to measure this."

Twilight glared at Pinkie but didn't say anything else. Pinkie finally nodded at the cup, then dumped the last of the flour into the bowl.

She set up another, smaller bowl near the first one, and grabbed an egg from the pile of ingredients. She tapped it against the table, but when she tried to crack it open over the bowl using her hooves and mouth a large chunk of the shell landed in the bowl, and a fair bit of egg landed on the table.

"Uhm, oops. Lemme start over."

"It doesn't need to be exact, Pinkie," Twilight said. Her voice had gotten a little louder.

Pinkie didn't catch the increased volume. "The book didn't say 'half an egg,' Twilight. Haha, who would use half an egg in a recipe?"

Rarity pressed her face up against the glass. She hadn't been sure what to expect, and Twilight and Pinkie baking together was certainly not expected.

She walked through the door, and the creaking of wood and the tingling bell were covered up by a sudden shout from Twilight.

"No…no, no, NO! This is all wrong!"

Pinkie recoiled at Twilight's tone. "How can I be doing it wrong?" Pinkie nervously poked a hoof at the cookbook. "I followed the recipe, and I measured everything, and—"

"That's the problem! You're not supposed to measure things, and follow recipes, and be _careful!_ That's not how the real—"

Rarity coughed, just loudly enough.

Twilight froze. She already knew who it was: she knew that cough very well. "That's not how the real, uhm, _bakers_ do it," she stammered.

Pinkie poked her head around Twilight. She gasped, waved excitedly, and hopped over to Rarity, in that order, all in the space of a few seconds. "Hi, Rarity!"

"Hello, Pinkie."

"Did you come over to help me and Twilight with our baking lessons?"

"No. I actually came over to talk to Twilight. Alone, if that's alright."

"Ooooh, do you have a secret? Is about me?"

"Uhm, no. It's about…"

"One of our friends," Twilight blurted.

"Ooh, which one?" Pinkie asked.

"Uhm…P…R…Fluttershy," Twilight said.

"Oh, well, you can tell me! Maybe I can help. You know I'd never blab anypony's secrets. I'd never do anything to hurt my friends, I promise!"

"What kind of promise?" Twilight asked.

"There's more than one type of promise?"

Twilight glared at Pinkie, but Rarity quickly stepped between them.

"Anyway, as I was saying, Twilight… I need to talk to you about, er, _Fluttershy_."

"There's nothing to talk about."

Pinkie smiled and started back towards the kitchen counter, but stopped when Rarity started talking.

"Isn't there? This," Rarity waved a hoof at the kitchen, but quickly retracted it, "I mean, _that_ little stunt you pulled is an incredibly shallow attempt to alleviate your guilt!"

"It'll work," Twilight mumbled.

"What'll work?" Pinkie asked.

Rarity snorted derisively. "Would you listen to yourself, Twilight? Even ignoring your teaching methods, it's just a desperate band-aid, and you know it!"

"So what!?" Twilight finally bothered to look at Rarity. "I got so sick of having sleepless nights, so sick of wallowing in guilt. Anything had to be better than that!"

"Trying to bring her back will only make it worse," Rarity said softly. "It'll just keep reminding you of it, and the wound will never heal."

Pinkie tilted her head. "Bring who back?"

"Her _existence_ reminds me of it. And I can't get rid of her, so this is the next best thing. And I know everypony else feels the same way. You said so yourself."

"Twilight…"

"You just don't get it, Rarity. I…" Twilight started to whisper. "I _killed_ her." She glanced at Pinkie. "…._P__et_…rabbit. Every time I close my eyes I see it happen again, and every time I see," another glance, "Fluttershy, I see it _again._ This is the only way it'll stop. It has to work."

"It's not the only way, Twilight. Let me help you." Rarity reached out to comfort her friend, but Twilight shrunk away.

"No, no this will work. It has to. Magic won't work on them, so this is all I've got. I just, I just need to talk to somepony… To Fluttershy." An idea dawned on Twilight. "Yes, of course, Fluttershy." Twilight trotted off, grabbing her saddlebag as she went.

"Twilight, wait!" Rarity called after her.

But Twilight had already slammed the door.

Pinkie turned to Rarity. "Wow, Twilight is really upset about that pet rabbit!" Pinkie scratched her head. "Sounds to me like it was an accident. Shouldn't it be easy to forgive herself?"

"Well, Twilight places very high standards on herself, Pinkie. She doesn't think of it as an accident."

"Will she ever get over it?"

"I hope so."

"Can I do anything to help?"

"She just needs to talk about it with somepony. Perhaps she really did go see Fluttershy."

Pinkie smiled. "Oh, well then I'm sure it'll all work out! If Fluttershy is the problem then talking to her is the best thing she can do, right? You can't just avoid ponies you have a problem with."

"Er, yes, I suppose so." Rarity adjusted her bags and started towards the door. "Sorry to interrupt your day, Pinkie. I'm afraid I must be off; I have something important to do."

"Ooh, hold on a sec'!" Pinkie dashed to the kitchen and back again, and handed Rarity one of her chimeric cupcakes. "One for the road. I made them myself!"

Rarity reluctantly grabbed it, and appraised it for a long moment. Pinkie leaned forward expectantly. Rarity delicately, slowly, carefully placed it into her mouth. Pinkie continued to stare at her. She waited a long time before beginning to chew. After what seemed like eons, the lump finally started to break apart, and Rarity swallowed it, her eye twitching noticeably as she did so.

She coughed loudly. "Uhm, chewy."

Pinkie grinned. "I knew you'd like it! Have fun on your errands!" She bounced exuberantly into the kitchen.

_Well, it isn't nearly as bad as Sweetie's __cooking__,_ Rarity thought to herself as she left. The comparison wasn't terribly comforting.


	7. 7 Help Me Sleep At Night

**Ch. 7**

**Help Me Sleep at Night**

Fluttershy stared at the massive sheet of parchment for a moment longer, then finally gave up and turned it ninety degrees. Another turn, and then a third did nothing to make Twilight's microscopic writing any clearer. The mathematical equations and diagrams only made it worse.

Twilight leaned forward expectantly. "Well? What do you think?" Her voice had a conspiratorial tone.

"Uhm, well, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what I'm looking at."

Twilight sighed. "I should've known you wouldn't want to help. And obviously Rarity won't want to…"

"Well, no. Sorry, what I meant was, I can't read your writing."

Twilight rubbed her neck. "Heh, yeah, I suppose I did rush a bit. And the calculus might not've been strictly necessary."

Fluttershy turned it again, and then simply let it flop onto her coffee table. "So…what is it?"

Twilight smiled. "A training regimen."

"And who are we training, and at what, exactly?"

"Pinkie, of course."

"Oh…"

"What?"

"Well, uhm, it looks like you put a lot of effort into it and everything…"

"Oh, of course I did! I planned out everything! Every skill, every area, every possible thing. If we use this, then after a while she'll be just like the real Pinkie Pie!"

"Twilight…"

"Don't give me that look, Fluttershy. Rarity gave me the same one. This will work."

"I didn't say it wouldn't work, Twilight, but—"

"'But' what?"

"Well, uhm, I'm sure it _could_ work, but I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"And why not?"

"She's a pony too, Twilight."

Twilight chuckled. Fluttershy nervously followed suit.

"But that's why it's so perfect!" Twilight leaned forward excitedly. "She wants to be Pinkie Pie, and that's exactly what I'm going to help her do. Be Pinkie Pie. I'm giving that imposter exactly what she wants."

"It just seems so…manipulative and, uhm, well, a little…selfish," Fluttershy squeaked.

Twilight planted her hooves on the coffee table. Fluttershy instinctively sunk backward into her couch.

"So what if it's selfish! Everypony will be happier this way!" Twilight leaned forward, and Fluttershy pushed herself a few more inches into the cushions. "_You_ keep pretending to like her, but the rest of the town hates her. I know, Rarity said so. This is for the best. This will work. Everything can just go…go back to normal. I have to fix it! I have to fix my mistake somehow!"

"Twilight…"

"You don't…you don't understand, Fluttershy." Twilight fell backward onto the couch, turning her head to the side. "I've barely slept since it happened. Every time I try I see it again. And every time I see _her_ it's the same way." She tucked her legs against her chest. "I know nopony in town likes her, for the same reason, but they don't have to deal with the guilt. Nonstop guilt." She fell sideways into the cushions, her voice started to crack. "And I can't deny it. I can't argue with it. It's all my fault. All my fault…" Tears finally overcame her words, and Twilight scrunched her eyes shut, knowing full well the memory was going to be there waiting for her. It seemed slightly preferable to watching Fluttershy judge her.

Suddenly Twilight felt a warm body pressing against hers. She felt feathers wrapped around her back, and a hoof gently wiping tears off her face. Her eyes snapped open and she saw Fluttershy hugging her, though the rest of her body remained a fetal ball.

"Shh…it'll be okay, Twilight."

The platitude only caused a fresh wave of tears. "Yes, obviously." Twilight managed to force out some sarcasm.

"No, it will." Fluttershy stroked Twilight's mane as gently as possible. "Because… I'm going to help you, with your…idea."

* * *

Rainbow Dash opened one eye. Something felt off. She leaned over the edge of her cloud on instinct, curious about what had disturbed her nap.

Pinkie was talking to somepony. She was as chipper as ever, but after only a few sentences the other pony left in a huff. Pinkie scratched her head, shrugged, and started to hop off towards the next one.

"Pinkie Pie? What're you doing?"

Pinkie's eyes darted around and she finally looked up. "Oh, hi, Rainbow Dash! I was just saying 'hello' to every pony in Ponyville! Something bad must've happened, though; Everypony is in a really bad mood today. Do you have any idea why?"

"I, uh, couldn't say…"

"Oh, well, I'm sure if it's important somepony will tell me eventually! I'll let you get back to your nap!" Pinkie skipped a few feet forward, and quickly encountered another potential friend. This one simply ignored her and continued walking. Pinkie called after them, but they continued ignoring her until finally they were out of sight.

"Uhm, Pinkie…?"

"Yeah?" Pinkie eagerly spun back around.

"How many ponies have you talked to today?"

"Forty-three!"

"And, uhm, how many of them said more than three sentences to you?"

"Two! One of them said about three sentences, but technically they were addressing their friend not me, but I did learn the friend's name as a result, so I guess that might count! Why?"

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck nervously, and finally flew off her cloud and landed near Pinkie. "Well, uhm, do you…want to do…something?"

"Like what?"

"Well, we could go get lunch. I'm starving. Being as awesome as I am does burn up a lot of calories."

"Sleeping burns calories?"

"I was power napping."

"Ohhhhhh, okay, that makes sense. But don't you have to finish power napping then?"

"What, can't I have a late lunch with my friend?"

Pinkie's eyes lit up. "Of course we can!" She flung herself around Rainbow.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, don't get all sappy on me. You're paying, after all."

* * *

Fluttershy continued staring at the dense diagram, but it failed to get any more comprehensible. Perhaps flying and reading it at the same time wasn't helping, but she doubted that was the only problem.

"I don't know, Twilight. This still seems a little…convoluted."

"It'll be fine. Trust me."

"Couldn't you just use magic or something to make her a better baker?"

"No. I can't use magic."

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't understand…"

Fluttershy leaned in closer to Twilight. "Wouldn't I?" The two of them stopped.

Twilight took a deep breath. "I just… I just can't, okay? Magic is what caused this whole problem in the first place. Using more of it will just make things worse."

"That wasn't your fault, Twilight. You did everything you could."

Twilight turned her head away. "No, I didn't. I knew you wouldn't understand."

"Twilight, wait. I'm sorry, I'm listening. What do you mean?"

Twilight glanced at Fluttershy, then took a deep breath. "The spell to send the Pinkies back, it was attuned to one location, not to who it was used on. So, it would send things to the same spot regardless of who they were. If I had taken the time to study it more carefully, to actually think about its construction, I might've been able to make it discriminate between the real Pinkie Pie and the fake ones."

"It was new magic. You couldn't have known, Twilight. Maybe you still don't."

Twilight snorted derisively. "Oh, but I knew enough to prevent the targets from returning via magic, didn't I? If I had spent that much effort on studying the spell, taken a few days or weeks or months to restructure it, I wouldn't have…" Twilight shook her head. "Some Element of Magic I am. I got careless on the important parts and my safeguards made things worse. I'm such a…a shortsighted, careless _idiot_."

"You didn't—"

"Didn't what? Didn't _what?_"

Fluttershy was silent.

"Exactly. Don't pretend this isn't my fault, because it is. And I'm going to fix it, and I'm not going to make things worse with magic this time. Never again." Twilight spun around and continued walking. Fluttershy hesitated briefly and then floated after her.

* * *

Rainbow Dash never, ever admitted when she made a mistake. At least not to herself. As she watched Pinkie examining their table's salt shaker with a naïve curiosity, however, she was sorely tempted to reconsider that policy. Thankfully Pinkie put it down before the desire became too potent.

"Uhm, Pinkie? You might want to look at your menu, not the napkin holder."

Pinkie's hoof paused in mid-air and took a sharp turn away from the center of the table.

"Right, sorry. I just love how everything matches everything else. This place looks great!"

The diner was not a bastion of fashion, but it did have a pleasant, simple aesthetic. The booth they were seated in was comfortably plain and clean. There were a few other patrons scattered about, but even when it was full the place never felt crowded.

"Yeah, I like it here too. Not too fancy, not too trashy. Helps me think. And helps me eat." Dash smiled.

Both mares began to peruse their menus. Dash knew most of the items on it, so she didn't give it her full attention. Instead, she focused on an argument in the corner of her eye. Several of the waitstaff were frowning and gesturing at their table, though none of their words were loud enough to carry over.

"This menu is terrible!"

Dash looked up. "Sorry, what?"

"What's wrong with this menu? There's no cupcakes or cake or candy or anything on it!"

"You could order something else."

Pinkie gasped. "You mean there's food besides cupcakes!?" She failed to notice the sudden stares she received.

_Sounds like Pinkie_, Rainbow mused. "Uhm, yeah. Most of it is pretty good. Some of it has a lot of calories, though."

"Oh, okay!" Pinkie scanned her menu, and then closed it and let it flop onto the table. "Alright, I picked something! Where do we go to make it?"

It suddenly occurred to Rainbow that she had never been to a restaurant with Pinkie, or even seen her in a restaurant. Unless that donut shop counted, and it probably did not. "No, see, you wait and they make it for you," Rainbow explained.

Pinkie frowned. "Well, _that_ doesn't sound very fun."

"Well, while you wait you get to talk to one of the awesomest ponies in Equestria." Dash rubbed a hoof on her chest and grinned smugly. The posture lasted mere moments before she returned to her menu, suddenly aware she hadn't chosen anything yet.

Pinkie's frown immediately bounced back into a smile. "Oh, ok! What do you want to talk about? Parties? Cookies? Pets?"

"Uhm, why don't you tell me about your day?"

"Oh, okay! Well, first Twilight came over to tell me that everypony decided to let me stay. I knew my new friends would never ever make a mistake about such an important investigation, so it wasn't really a surprise, but it was still nice to hear! And then I went out to say 'hi' to everypony in town. Pony number one, Lyra, was a teal unicorn, and pony number two was a cream earth pony. They were in kind of a rush, so I didn't get to talk to them very long, but they seemed really nice. I guess being late can make some ponies cranky, though. Then pony number three…"

Pinkie made it through eleven ponies before the waitress arrived to take their orders. She didn't speak to Pinkie, or even make eye contact with her. Pinkie told her order to Dash, who then relayed it to the waitress. She scribbled their orders down and left, with as few words as possible.

Dash snorted. "Rude."

"What? Why?"

"She didn't even look at you."

"Oh, you noticed that too? She must know I've never been to a restaurant before. Guess it's pretty obvious I'm new here. I bet she didn't want to make me uncomfortable or put me on the spot, so she just talked to you." Pinkie smiled. "That was really thoughtful of her."

"Uhm, sure… I guess…"

"So, where was I? Oh, right, and then I talked to pony number twelve. She was a purple pegasus. Hehe, 'purple pegasus.' She must've had somewhere important to be too, because when I tried to talk to her she just flew off. I guess everypony in town is working on something together, since they're all so busy. And then there was pony number thirteen…"

* * *

"So then I say," Rainbow leaned in slightly, pausing just long enough, "Rainbow Dash? More like Rainbow _Flash!_"

Pinkie and Rainbow both laughed for a solid minute. A number of the other patrons shot them dirty looks, but neither pony noticed.

Pinkie wiped her eyes. "I didn't really understand the last part, but that was a great story Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow was saved from responding by the waitress dropping off their check.

"Ooh, I got this!" Pinkie snatched up the piece of paper, contemplated it for a moment, and then started rummaging in her bag.

"It's ok, Pinkie, you don't have to," Rainbow said.

"But you said it was my treat, and I'm a Pinkie Pie of my word!"

"But I said that, not you." Dash glanced to the side. "Besides, I was joking, mostly."

"Don't worry, Rainbow Dash, I want to!" Pinkie finally pulled her face out of her bag, a coin purse in her teeth. "Now, the gold ones are worth more than the silver ones, right? Or is it the other way around? Or are they worth the same? That would be kinda silly, though."

Pinkie rubbed her chin contemplatively, and Rainbow took the opportunity to grab the check from her.

"Hey, I was using that!"

"Don't sweat it, Pinkie. This one's on me."

"But I want to pay. That's what friends do, right? Buy lunch for each other?"

Dash plopped some bits on the table. "But I'm your friend too, aren't I?" She double-checked to make sure there was no tip, then turned to Pinkie. "You can buy the next one, deal?"

"You mean we get to do this _again?_"

"Well, yeah, if you want."

Pinkie answered with a hug, although she had to end it prematurely because of the table digging into her stomach.

The two of them gathered their bags, though only one of them noticed the other diners staring at them as they left.

"So, when do you wanna do this again? Tomorrow? Or the next day? Or the day after that? Or the day after that? Or—"

"Whoa, easy, Pinkie. There's no rush, right?"

"Yeah, sorry, I guess not. We can hang out any time, there's no rush at all." Pinkie smiled.

"Ehr, yeah. Anyway, I have to go, it was, uhm, fun hanging out." Rainbow glanced to the side. "I'll…talk to you later?"

"You bet! Bye bye, Rainbow Dash!"

Both of them headed off to their respective houses. Pinkie bounced, Rainbow flew. Neither of them noticed the blotches of pink and purple in a nearby bush, or the glint of binoculars being put away.


	8. 8 Can a Detail Correct Your Dismay?

**Ch. 8**

**Can a Detail Correct Your Dismay?**

Pinkie bounced towards Sugarcube Corner, humming a little tune as she went. _Rainbow Dash is so generous,_ she thought to herself. _Taking time off from her busy schedule to have a late lunch with me, and then paying for it all by herself. And she double-checked the money she left, so she must've made sure that nice waitress got a big tip. I'm so lucky to have such great friends! And I bet everypony will be less busy tomorrow, so I'll have time to make even more of them!_

Pinkie walked into her house, and flicked on the light.

"Hi, Pinkie." Twilight's face was inches from Pinkie's. A small smile sat on her face, though her voice was even.

"Hi, Twilight! How'd you get in here?"

Twilight waved a hoof. "Not important. I thought we could finish our baking lesson from earlier, since we were so rudely interrupted." Twilight fished some books out of her bags.

"Sure, that sounds like fun!" Pinkie bounced into the kitchen. "This day has been so amazing. Lunch with my best friend. Cooking lessons with my other best friend. Hopping around town saying hello to my future best friends. One of my best friends waiting for me in my house so we can have fun together. Could it be any more perfect?"

Twilight continued rummaging in her bag. "Uh, No, I guess not. Ah, here we are; _Remedial Cooking, 4th edition_. Now we just need to—"

There was a loud knock on the door. By the time Twilight had turned her head, Pinkie had already opened it.

"Hi, Applejack!"

"Hi, Pinkie. C'n I come in?"

"Of course, of course!" Pinkie ushered Applejack inside. "I was just having cooking lessons with Twilight! Doesn't that sound like fun?" She bounced back into the kitchen.

Applejack followed her. "Well, actually, I heard Twilight didn't give very good cooking lessons." She looked at Twilight, her expression neutral.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Oh? And who told you that?"

"Rarity did."

"I see."

Applejack turned back to Pinkie. "So, Pinkie, I was hopin' you could let me borrow Twilight for a moment. I need to talk to her about something."

"Oh, is it about me? Or is it about another pet rabbit?"

"Uhm, it's more about Twilight than anythin' else. I'm worried about her, and I would like ta talk in private, if that's okay."

"Sure! You can use my room if you want. It's upstairs on the left."

"Right, thanks, Pinkie." Applejack gave Twilight a look, and the unicorn reluctantly lowered her cookbooks and started towards the stairs.

They slowly ascended the stairs. Twilight paused halfway up, her ear flicking quickly, but she shook her head and continued up.

The moment they entered Pinkie's room Twilight snorted loudly.

"So Rarity tattled on me, did she?" Twilight muttered.

Applejack shut the door. "Twilight, Rarity told me she was worried about you, and now I see why. You can't expect this to work."

"I'm not stupid, AJ. I know that's not Pinkie, and I know I can't replace her and I need to move on, but…" Twilight looked at the ground.

"But what?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Then help me understand."

Twilight's eyes flicked up and back down. "It wouldn't help. It'd just make things worse."

"You didn't seem ta feel that way when you were talkin' to Fluttershy."

"You were _following_ me?"

"I was worried about you! We all are." Applejack took a step forward. "We all care about you, Twilight. Nothing you say would ever make things worse."

Twilight scrunched her eyes shut and let out a sigh. "Do you remember the end of the test?"

"You know I do."

Twilight didn't open her eyes. "Do you remember that spell I cast at the end?"

"I remember you gettin' real quiet and falling over, sure. You were kinda panicky, I wasn't sure what it was."

"I was trying to cast a retrieval spell to get Pinkie Pie back. But all those wards I cast blocked it." Twilight's eyes snapped open. "But before the counterspells kicked me back I heard something. I…"

"What?"

"I…I heard Pinkie Pie screaming."

Applejack didn't say anything.

Twilight didn't take her gaze off the floor. "I'm not stupid. I know she's gone. I know that better than anyone, because it's all my fault."

"Twi, nopony blames you for it."

"No, they all blame that fake in there. But how long until everypony stops being angry and realizes whose fault it really is?"

"It's no one's fault, Twilight!"

Twilight turned to AJ "Of course it's somepony's fault! And this is the only thing I can do to fix it. It's either this or t—it's just this."

AJ took another step towards Twilight. "Twi, I know accepting your mistakes ain't easy, but sometimes fixin' them and failin' just makes it worse. Nopony blames you for it, and eventually they'll, uhm, warm up ta Pinkie. Letting it go won't fix things but it's gotta be better than this."

"Don't tell me to let it go when no one else has!"

"That's not true," Applejack blurted.

"Oh really?" Twilight took a step forward. "Then why did Rarity talk to _you_ instead of Pinkie?" Another step. "Why did you talk to _me _instead of Pinkie? Why did you wait until _I _got here to knock on the door? Why are you following me instead of _her_?" Twilight shoved a hoof in the direction of the kitchen.

Applejack looked to the side.

"That's what I thought." Twilight pushed past the earth pony. "I have to go."

"An' do what?"

"I dunno. Work on my lesson plan." Twilight flung the door open and walked out.

* * *

Pinkie heard the two mares shouting about something. It was hard to hear through the door.

_I sure hope they're not fighting over me._ Pinkie scooped exactly two cups of flour into the bowl. _I mean, why else would they want to talk alone unless it's about me? I have enough time to spend with everypony, though, so that's not it._ Pinkie added the eggs and sugar and milk, then started to vigorously stir the ingredients.

Pinkie put the bowl down, and took a half-step towards the door. Her hoof froze in midair. _No, if it's important, they would tell me. My friends would never ever lie to me about anything!_ Pinkie shook her head and returned to mixing. _They trusted me not to eavesdrop or interrupt, so I can trust them to tell me things. _Pinkie giggled softly to herself. _I almost made a real big fox pass right there! And I know they'd forgive me no matter what I did, but it would still be awkward if I broke their trust._

Pinkie nodded at her reasoning. _Makes perfect sense!_ She put down the bowl and grabbed a large spoon in her teeth. She scooped up some dough, leveled it off, and dolloped it onto the pan. She glanced at the picture in the book, and they looked reasonably similar.

She was halfway into the fourth dollop when she heard the side door being flung open.

She leapt over to the foyer, and cleared the archway just in time to see Twilight walking off. Applejack was standing on the stairs, staring at the open door and sighing.

"What happened?"

"Sorry, Pinkie. Twilight, uhm, ain't feelin' well."

"Oh no! Was it something she ate? Or is she still upset about killing her friend?"

Applejack stared at Pinkie. "What!?"

"Rarity told me she killed Fluttershy's pet rabbit, and they must've been friends if she's taking it this hard, right?"

"Oh, uhm, yeah, sure. I, uh, guess that would make sense…"

"There must be something I can do to help. Rarity said she just needed to talk to somepony, so what if I talked to her?"

"Everypony grieves differently, Pinkie. I'm not sure it'll be that simple."

"Well, I'm sure we'll think of something. There's nothing you can't fix with some help from your friends." Pinkie smiled.

Applejack hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, you're right, of course." She scratched her forelock and glanced back at the door. "So, uhm, Pinkie. Since I went and scared off Twilight, why don't I give you a cooking lesson instead?"

"Really?" Pinkie's eyes lit up. "You'd do that for me?"

"Uh, sure. We haven't really spent that much time together since…since lately. Least I could do."

"Ooh, that sounds great! What should we make?"

"Well, I know how to make a mean apple pie."


	9. 9 Plagiarize Something Old

**Ch. 9**

**Plagiarize Something Old**

Pinkie hopped into her room and flicked on the light.

She glanced around. "Ah, there you are, Goomi!" She scooped up the alligator and held him in midair. "Wanna hear about my super-amazing, friend-filled day?"

Gummy blinked slowly.

"I know I was worried earlier about making friends, but it turns out I was just being a silly filly! I have so many amazing friends already, I don't need to panic about making more. And once everypony gets out of their weird mood I'll have even more friends to make!"

Pinkie placed her pet on the bed. "Oh where do I even start? I got a present from Fluttershy, I had lunch with Rainbow Dash, and I had three baking lessons with Applejack and Twilight! Well, more like two and a tenth, but might as well round up since I'm sure we'll do it again later! My friends are so amazing, spending all that time with me!" Pinkie rubbed her chin. "And then I also had a talk with Rarity, and another talk with Rarity and Twilight. They were really nice to explain everything for me. I just wish there was something I could do about Fluttershy's pet and all those little things that Rarity mentioned."

Gummy blinked slowly.

Pinkie laughed quietly. "You're right! I'll figure something out eventually!" Pinkie bounced over to her bed and settled under the covers, Gummy still curled up at the other end.

Pinkie stared up at the ceiling. "You know, I'm so excited, I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep!"

There was a moment of silence.

"You're right! Some reading might help!" Pinkie twisted around and saw the large journal on her nightstand. "Perfect!" She grabbed it with her teeth, and then pushed the pillows against the backboard. She scooted backward, wiggling her flank until she had settled into a sitting position. It took a few moments to figure out how to hold the book, but eventually it flipped it open.

The page seemed to be in-progress song lyrics. It was arranged in stanzas and there were a lot of crossed-out words and corrections littering the entire thing.

Pinkie flipped the page a few times, her eyes scanning each one. Journal entries. Jokes. A short story. Poetry. More song lyrics. She flipped the page again and stopped.

Pony Party Preferences

Pinkie raised an eyebrow and flipped the page.

Rarity; Dislikes balloons, piñatas, and other threats to mane. Loves punch and cake. No preferred party size.

She flipped the page again. There was an entry for all her friends, and even more for all her tentative friends.

She smacked herself in the face. "Oh, Goomi, I can't believe how oblivious I've been! Here the entire town is upset over something, and one of my best friends lost a pet, and I'm just sitting here doing nothing!" Pinkie shook her head. "I can't believe how selfish I am."

Pinkie scrunched her eyes shut for a few moments, and then popped them open again. "No! This is no time to be depressed!" She flung aside her covers and leapt out of bed. "Everypony needs me! My friends need me! And there's only one thing I can do to help them!" Pinkie grabbed the journal and waltzed over to her work table. She gave it a once-over, and a huge smile grew on her face.

"I've gotta throw a _party!_"


End file.
